The captain was absent during the trial that was presided over by the Registrar of the Zanzibar High Court George Kazi who avoided to rush in accepting a bail application by the advocate of the four accused.

"This is a sensitive case; I hesitate to rush in deciding on bail. I will give my ruling on bail application next Monday and therefore I order the accused to be remanded," the Registrar said.

MV Spice Islanders capsized some 10 kilometres away from Nungwi Beach, on its way to Pemba Island on the night of September 9. The ferry is said to have been overloaded with passengers and cargo.

It is suspected that most of the 203 passengers were children, sleeping below decks at the time of accident. However, an official inquiry will follow to find out more about the accident.